Grants & Awards
WIA-Europe is dedicated to fostering a gender-balanced aerospace community by actively supporting its members through a range of initiatives. Our commitment extends to encouraging emerging talents and providing assistance to professionals who share our goal of promoting diversity and inclusivity in the aerospace sector. Through these efforts, we strive to advance not only individual careers but also contribute to the overall progress of the aerospace industry. WIA-Europe has three annual recognitions:
Outstanding Achievement Award
Each year, WIA-Europe bestows the Outstanding Achievement Award to honour exceptional accomplishments and leadership qualities of individuals, serving as both a tribute within the aerospace community and a source of inspiration for future generations. The WIA-Europe Outstanding Achievement Award comprises an engraved statuette and an Honorary Membership, presented during an awards ceremony. Our esteemed honorary members continue to actively support and enrich the WIA-Europe community.
The WIA-Europe Outstanding Achievement Award is an engraved statuette and an Honorary Membership, presented at the award ceremony. It is presented to a person who has:
- Shown noteworthy achievements in or contributions to an aerospace related project or programme that represents a breakthrough or milestone in the aerospace field in Europe.
- Shown noteworthy achievements in or contributions to an academic/educational project or programme that represents a breakthrough or milestone in the aerospace field in Europe.
- Shown exemplary leadership abilities in the aerospace field.
Served/serves as a role model or mentor who demonstrates dedication to the advancement of women in aerospace.
Contributed positively to raise awareness and recognition of women in aerospace. - An active commitment to the professional growth of women in aerospace.
There are no constraints on age, gender or nationality for the WIA-Europe Outstanding Achievement Award. WIA-Europe promotes diversity and as such accepts candidates from all nations, and encourages the nomination of men focusing on points 4, 5 and 6 of the above criteria.
The candidate can apply themselves, or can be nominated by someone else. All entries are judged by a committee of three WIA-Europe members and two WIA-Europe Board members. The entries must have:
- A completed, signed application form (available for download below)
- An essay of up to 500 words explaining the motivation for the nomination, including at least:
Ā Ā Ā Ā The relevance of the nominated individual in the aerospace sector;
Ā Ā Ā Ā His/her role in supporting women leadership and presence in the aerospace sector;
Ā Ā Ā Ā His/her recognition in the international arena. - The nomineeās extended CV
- A copy of a valid passport or other official identification document.
WIA- Europe Student Conference Grant
The WIA-Europe Student Conference Grant aims to financially support Bachelor, Master and PhD students in Europe to attend for the first time any international workshop or conference to present their aerospace-related paper. The grant winner shall be awarded EUR 1,000.Ā
To qualify for the WIA-Europe Student Conference Grant:
- Applicant shall be a WIA-Europe member
- Applicant shall be based in Europe
- Applicant shall be a student of a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree
- Applicant shall attend for the first time any international workshop or conference
- Applicant shall have an accepted abstract on an aerospace-related topic in an international workshop or conference taking place between 1st July 2026 and 30 June 2027
- Applicant shall be one of the paper authors
- Applicant shall be the paper presenter
- Applicant should be receiving financial support from WIA-Europe for the first time
*All answers and documents shall be in English
The application shall include the following:
- Application form completed via WIA-Europe website, using the Google Form provided.Ā
- CV (PDF, in Europass format, maximum 2 pages)
- Acceptance letter to the workshop or conference
- Copy of the abstract
- Motivation letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, no images)
- Formal support letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, including signature, no images) from a university professor or academic supervisor of the current university
*All documents must be uploaded through WIA-Europe's provided link
**Only applications including all the above stated documents will be eligible
- Only applications from eligible applicants, who submitted all the requested documents, in English, will be considered
- The WIA- Europe Student Conference Grant is EUR 1,000.00
- Winners are entitled to a free individual WIA membership for the following year
- A brief bio (Ā½ page) and photo can be published on our website (upon request)
- Winners shall submit a report (PDF, maximum 2 pages, including pictures) within 3 months of the workshop or conference conclusion, on how the WIA-Europe financial supportĀ sustained their registration and travel expenses and share the benefit of participating in the workshop or conference
- A summary of the report will be published in the WIA-Europe digest
*All answers and documents shall be in English.
Timeline
Monday, 9 February 2026
Submission Open
Thursday, 4 May 2026
Submission Deadline
Saturday, 30 June 2026
Announcement of Winners
WIA-Europe Inspirational Award
The WIA-Europe Inspirational Award aims to support projects that promote aerospace and inspire future generations where WIA-Europe members are involved. The award winner shall be awarded EUR 1,000. The applicant shall submit a short report describing the project and their personal contribution.Ā
To qualify for the WIA-Europe Student Conference Grant:
- Applicant shall be a WIA-Europe member
- Applicant shall be based in Europe
- Applicant shall be actively contributing to the project
- Applicant shall either study or work in the aerospace sector
- Applicant should be receiving financial support from WIA-Europe for the first time
The application shall include the following:
- Application form completed via the WIA-Europe website, using the Google Form provided.
- CV (PDF, in Europass format, maximum 2 pages, no images)
- Initiative/Project document including (PDF, max 3 pages):
- DescriptionĀ
- Objectives
- Action Plan
- Ongoing activities
- Personal contributionĀ in the initiation of the project and in the foreseen implementation
- If applicable, other contributions from potential project members
- Impact according to the metrics ***Ā
- Alignment with WIA-Europeās mission and vision
- Explanation of how the financial support from WIA-Europe would benefit this Initiative/Project
*All documents must be uploaded through WIA-Europe's provided link
**Only applications including all the above stated documents will be eligible
***Please quantify the impact of your initiative using measurable indicators wherever possible. Describe the scale of your activities by indicating the number of participants or beneficiaries, the number of events, workshops or sessions, the institutions or organisations involved, and the countries or regions reached. Clarify the profile of the audience you aim to reach, including their age group, gender, educational background, and whether underrepresented groups are included. Explain the type of activities offered and how aerospace topics, careers or technologies are presented to the beneficiaries. Indicate whether the initiative is a one-off activity or an ongoing effort, its frequency, the long-term vision for continuation, and its potential to be replicated in other locations or contexts.
- Only applications from eligible applicants, who submitted all the requested documents, in English, will be considered
- The WIA-Europe Inspirational Award is EUR 1,000.oo
- Winners are entitled to a free individual membership for the following year
- A brief bio (Ā½ page) and photo can be published on our website (upon request)
- Winners are required to submit a report within six months after receiving the award (PDF, maximum 2 pages, including pictures) detailing the utilisation of the WIA-Europe financial support and its benefits for future generations
- A summary of the report will be published in the WIA-Europe digest
*All answers and documents shall be in English.
Timeline
Monday, 9 February 2026
Submission Open
Thursday, 4 May 2026
Submission Deadline
Saturday, 30 June 2026
Announcement of Winners
Previous Grants & Awards Recipients
Over the past decade, we have awarded a number of grants & awards to young students and professionals.
Student Conference Grant Recipients:Ā
Ā
- Kavya Murali Parthasarathy – 2025
- IIenia Bruseghello – 2024
- Ariane Mansard – 2023
- Evgenia Yvonni Tseloni – 2023
- Marie-Claire de Bruijn – 2022
- Yedida Jyothirmai – 2022
- Elfie Roy – 2021
- Federica Angeletti ā 2021
- Sara Khan ā 2019
- Shambo Bhattacharjee ā 2019
- Harriet Brettle ā 2019
- Eleonor Frost ā 2019
- Greta De Marco ā 2019
- Merel Vergaaij ā 2019
Inspirational Award:
Ā
- Dr. Anna Chrobry -2025 (Inspirational Award)
- Dr. Estel Blay – 2024 (Inspirational Award)
- Hypatia Mars -2024
- Serena Campioli, 2023 (Essay Award)
- Natalia Lemarquis, 2023 (Essay Award)
- Katharina Siems, 2022 (Essay Award)
- Dr. Olivia Borgue, 2022 (Essay Award)
- Yulia Akisheva, 2021 for a project on fostering diversity, equity and capacity building in the space workforce
- Sahba El-Shawa, 2021 for presenting her paper on JSRI and Jordanās participation in lunar exploration
Outstanding Award Recipients:Ā
Ā
- Simonetta Cheli (2024)
- Dr. Anne Cazenave (2021)
- Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund (2020)
- Ms. Grazia Vittadini (2019)
- Ms. Claudie Haigner (2017)
- Ms. Candace Johnson (2016)
- Ms. Jocelyne Landeau-Constantin (2015)
Grants & Awards Committee
Natacha Callens
CO CHAIR
Maria Antonietta Perino
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Kai-Uwe Schrogl
CO CHAIR
RĆ©ka SzabĆ³
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Diana Pueyo
COMMITTEE MEMBER
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